The Cruise Ship
by SchillingWrites
Summary: Piper Chapman embarks on her annual family vacation. What happens when she meets a mysterious brunette, Alex Vause?
1. Chapter 1

It was that time of the year again for the Chapman family, and Piper sat huffing in her room as she thought about the next two weeks and what they would bring.

Ever since Piper can remember growing up, her family had shoved the idea of being 'perfect' and 'proper' down her throat. It didn't matter how much love her and her siblings received in return, as long as everybody in the neighbourhood thought that they were the perfect family. The thing is, is that Piper had always considered herself to be different to everybody else. She did not like the whole charade around designer clothes, flashy jewellery, and fake garden parties where everybody gathers around drinking champagne. No, Piper much preferred to sit in her bedroom, alone, with the comfort of her books.

Unfortunately for Piper, it was winter vacation, and she could no longer use the excuse of homework to escape the realities of her parents and their friends. Instead, she had just returned to her room from sitting downstairs with her parents discussing the annual Chapman vacation.

This was one of the only times that Piper could actually stand to be around her parents; mainly because they were too busy trying to impress the other guests around, and Piper could easily find an excuse to lounge in the sun all day with a good novel.

* * *

The blonde awoke to the winter sun shining through the window directly in front of her. Squinting, she turned her head to face her alarm clock on the side and noticed that it was still very early. Today was going to be a busy day for Piper; she had been instructed by her mother the night previous that she needed to go shopping today. Her father had increased the number of funds going into her account and she was to use this money to find some nice outfits that "didn't look like they had come from a charity shop", in the words of her mother.

Piper checked her phone on the night stand, and smiled when she realised she had gotten a text from her boyfriend, Larry.

"Morning babe, I'll meet you in town in about an hour, is that okay?", Larry asked.

"Morning sweetie. Yes! That's great. I'm just about to get out of bed, make some breakfast, get dressed, and I'll be on my way. Text you when I'm leaving", Piper replied.

Piper placed her phone by the side of her and lay back down in her bed, sighing to herself. She really did not want to leave Larry for an entire two weeks whilst they went on vacation, especially considering this happened to fall on their one year anniversary. Piper had so many plans! She was going to treat herself and Larry to a date around the city carnival that visits only once a year. They could eat popcorn, go on the rides, and Larry could even win her a present from one of the arcade machines.

That would be just another disappointment in her life ruined by her parents. Now she had to spend an entire two weeks on a cruise sailing around the Caribbean, hopping from island to island and having to suffer inaudible conversations with people exactly like her parents.

"This is going to be hell", Piper thought to herself and she stood up and started to walk downstairs to make some breakfast.

* * *

After quickly showering, throwing on an old pair of blue jeans and a jumper, Piper quickly wrapped a scarf around her neck and ran outside to her car. It didn't take long to drive into the city on this fine Saturday morning; there was no traffic on the roads and Piper quite enjoyed this alone time to listen to the radio and hum along quietly, thinking about making the most of this last day she was going to spend with Larry for a long time.

As Piper pulled into the car park and reversed her car into a space, she noticed Larry in the rearview mirror waiting for her. She took a second to take all of her surroundings in; she really did love Larry. Although they had been together for just under a year, she could honestly say that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. He made her happy. He was very smart, he had aspirations to become a famous writer, and he looked adorable stood behind in his sweater and winter gear. She was really looking forward to today.

The next few hours flew by. Piper and Larry wondered around the city shopping centre holding hands and looking for clothes that her mother would deem appropriate. It didn't really take too long to find the clothes she needed, the majority of their time was spent in a relatively posh, yet cosy, restaurant eating a lovely dinner that Larry had secretly planned for the two of them. Piper guessed that this was their way of celebrating their one year anniversary, and she enjoyed every moment that they spent together for the few hours that they had. Before heading home, Piper sat with Larry in her car and thanked him for the day they spent together.

"This was really lovely Lar, I will miss you so much", Piper sighed.

"I will miss you too Pipes, and don't forget to text me as soon as you land and get on the ship. You can message me whenever, okay? Just try to enjoy yourself as much as you can", Larry replied.

"I will, babe", and with that, Larry kissed Piper good bye on the cheek and made his way over to his own car, waving to Piper as she drove off down the street towards her own neighbourhood.


	2. Chapter 2

Piper abruptly woke up to the sound of her alarm blaring by the side of her bed.

"Ugh", she thought, as she forced her eyes open and turned the sound off immediately. Looking at the clock, it read 03:15am. It was way too early to be awake… especially thinking ahead of the day that she was going to have. The Chapman's had a short journey to the nearest airport, yet a long-haul flight across to Barbados awaited them, and then they would begin their two week journey around the Caribbean.

It surprised Piper how quick the checking in process was this time around. Normally, they would queue for at least an hour amongst the other families that were flying to Bridgetown, some on the same cruise ship that they were going on and others staying in hotels around the island. However, this time around, they queued for around ten minutes and Piper only noticed a couple of other families around. It wasn't long before Piper was sat next to her little brother Cal in first class with a cup of orange juice on the table in front of her, opening her newest novel as she prepared for take off. -

Flying was something that Piper had learnt to get used to over the years. She wasn't particularly thrilled by the idea, but it got easier every time. The hours honestly flew by as Piper pushed her chair back and spent her time lost in her book. Before she knew it, the captain was announcing that they would be landing shortly, so Piper pulled her iPhone out of her pocket to capture some photos during the landing into the Caribbean island.

* * *

The one thing that Piper loved the most about the annual cruise ship vacation (besides the incredible food) was the ocean. It sounds kind of cliche, however being in the middle of the ocean for days at a time with nothing else to worry about in the world was honestly a feeling that Piper was yet to replace. So as Piper stepped out of the private taxi and noticed the tall ship docked in front of her, she felt instantly at ease. It had been a year since Piper was last aboard for the previous family vacation, yet she almost instantaneously remembered the feeling of walking up the stairs and into the ship itself. She felt like a little kid; excited and ready to explore. However, first they needed to check in and sort everything out in regards to the room.

Checking in was easy. Her parents had booked the "queen family suite", which meant that Piper and Cal would have their own rooms inside of the cabin, as well as her parents, a huge living area, and a balcony. The balcony was obviously Piper's favourite part; she would often sneak outside when everybody else was asleep and sit watching the waves disappear under the boat and looking at the stars. For now though, Piper would have to wait for that part. Her family had all quickly threw their bags into their cabin, changed clothes into something more summery and less 'winter in New York' style, and headed onto the deck.

The main deck where everything was situated was on deck 7. This had the huge pool (which Piper could not wait to jump into later that day once everything was settled down), the main bar (which again, Piper could not wait to visit soon!), and the buffet area where you could grab as much food as you liked throughout the day. Piper liked this part the most because it was very relaxed in comparison to the meal that they would eat on the evening. Then, they would have to dress up in their best outfits, have the nicest possible attitudes, and the part that Piper hated the most, which involved talking to other people aboard too who were exactly like her parents.

The Chapmans had a browse around; her mother pretending that she had never been aboard before and acting shocked whenever she seen something which she literally seen the year previous because nothing had changed. Piper just learnt to ignore her behaviour, and instead took it upon herself to find the nearest sun lounger towards the side of the ship. This way, she could have the perfect view of the ocean once the ship began it's sail away later that day. For now though, she settled down with her book and lay in the sunshine, enjoying the weather and her surroundings. She ignored everybody around her, lost in the novel that sat on her lap and focusing on the words written on the page.

* * *

Piper didn't even realise that a few hours had already passed before her mother approached her from the side.

"Oh there you are, honey, I've been looking for you! You should see what Cal and Danny have been up to…" her mother half-shouted which instantly threw Piper off guard.

"I've just been sat here for the past few hours reading Mom. Sorry, I didn't realise the time", Piper replied, looking at her watch and in fact realising that it had been at least 2 hours since she last seen her family around the boat.

"That's fine sweetheart. We're heading for a couple of drinks around the bar anyway darling, come with me and we'll go and meet your brothers and your father".

Piper really did not want to move from her position on the sun lounger. However, she also didn't want to upset her mother considering they had only been on vacation for a couple of hours. She found it easier to keep her mother sweet, and that included having to follow her instructions and act like she was having the greatest time being surrounded by drunk passengers that were taking full advantage of the all-inclusive offer.

* * *

Heading towards the bar, Piper noticed that there was a significant number of people crowded around tables. The area was a lot louder than how it was close to the swimming pool, so Piper tried to make her way past the other tables and find one that was closest to the back. Eventually she found one, standing to wave her hand towards her mother to ensure that she was following her. Once everybody was settled, Piper walked over to the bartender and placed their orders.

"Hi there! Could I please get three glasses of Coke, a large glass of Rosè, and… I'll have a margarita".

As she said the last part of her order, a person sitting close to Piper on a barstool, cigarette in hand, turned towards her.

"It's a little warm out for a margarita, don't you think?"


	3. Chapter 3

_Authors note: Wow! Thank you so much for all of the reviews and favourites so far. This is honestly crazy, I never thought that it would happen because I just started to write this for fun and to think that people actually want me to update it is surreal. But I hope that this chapter is good for all of you, it's heading down the route where Alex and Piper start to get to know each other aboard and hopefully it'll make you guys very happy. Thank you again! Enjoy X_

* * *

It didn't take too long for Piper to unpack. Although there were a lot of clothes that she needed to put away considering they were on vacation for two whole weeks, Piper actually enjoyed herself. It was nice to have some quiet relaxing time away from everybody else as her parents were too unpacking their own belongings, and she also found it entertaining to once-over the clothes that her and Larry had chosen the day previous.

After around an hour, she finally lay down on her bed, thinking to herself about the strange woman that she encountered earlier on in the day.

The conversation didn't last very long; Piper simply laughed, gave the woman a confused look and told her to have a nice day. However, there was something that Piper couldn't quite put her finger on. The brunette didn't look like everybody else aboard; she wasn't the "rich" type, she seemed laid back; cigarette in hand and a beer in the other.

"Fuck!".

She had forgot to text Larry to tell him that she had landed, and that was hours ago. The poor guy was probably worried sick.

* * *

With the blondes clothes finally unpacked and a text to Larry sent, Piper took it upon herself to find an outfit that was suitable for the afternoon ahead. It was late afternoon at this point, the sun was still shining a little outside but not too much, and she needed to decide on what to wear for the rest of the day. The ship started to sail at 6pm, so she still had just over an hour before she needed to head to the deck where she was earlier in the day. She threw on a pair of denim shorts, a white tank top, and grabbed her bag which still had her sunglasses, sunscreen, and her novel in; that was all she needed for the time being.

Although it was later on in the afternoon, the heat radiated as soon as Piper stepped foot outside onto the deck so she headed back to the bar area where she met the brunette earlier on in the day, this time ordering a glass of lemonade. Sitting down on the sun lounger she had acquired this morning, Piper started to relax with her book and waited for the boat to start sailing.

* * *

Ever since Piper was young, she had always loved reading. From as early as she can remember, her parents were never the 'perfect' family that they tried so hard to make everybody else believe. There were a lot of arguments, and Piper being as young as she was, she hid in her bedroom with a book, drowning out the noise of the shouting coming from downstairs. The love for reading carried on; not even just as an escape of reality, she found as she grew older that she really did love the literature behind it and chose to read even in her spare time. So it was no surprise when she found herself laying down spending her time reading a new book on her two week vacation around the Caribbean.

"Not opting for a margarita this time? I'm glad you took my advice".

"I figured it was a little too hot…" she replied, a small giggle escaping her lips as she recognised the brunette from around the bar earlier in the day.

Piper watched as a smirk took over the brunettes face.

"Well it's nice to hear that you took my advice kid".

"Yeah… So what are you doing out here anyway? I thought you preferred the bar area" Piper replied, laughing as the words came from her mouth.

"Well technically I live on this ship because my mom works in the restaurant, but this place never gets old. I watch it sail away from a new island every single day, and it still manages to blow my mind. But yes, the bar is my second favourite place". The brunette replied, laughing at Piper and her light sarcasm.

"I can see why. I come here every year without fail with my parents and my brothers, and this is always the first place I try to come of an evening. I'm pretty sure they're all getting ready for some fancy dinner right now ready to impress the other guests with whatever bullshit decides to come from my mothers mouth, but as long as I have my book and a gorgeous view, I'm happier here".

"Plus you're forgetting the best part, you have that glass of lemonade" the brunette teased.

"Hey! Do not mock my beverage choice! You already did that earlier today and I took your advice and now my lemonade isn't good enough for you either!" the blonde smiled and teased back.

"How about I treat you to a proper drink later on this evening? You know… considering you don't really want to be around your mother, who by the way, sounds very thrilling and I absolutely cannot wait to meet", sarcasm present in the brunettes voice.

Piper didn't really know what to reply, so instead, she nodded her head and smiled back softly at the brunette, excited that she had finally met somebody on this ship that didn't just care about appearances and money.

They stayed that way for a while until the ships horn started to sound, signalling that they were about to start moving. Piper turned her head to the side, the brunette did the exact same, both smiling at each other as they felt the boat starting to move.

"It's time, kid".

* * *

They both sat in silence overlooking the sunset as the ship started to sail away from Barbados. It had been a long time since Piper had been here; a year had passed and so much had happened. Her and Larry had gotten together, she had to start focusing more in school and working extra hard on her assignments in order to get into Smith, and overall it had just been a very stressful year for the blonde. She really didn't like to talk about it too much, but her home life was getting worse. Although her parents tried to make everybody else believe that everything was okay, Piper and her brothers all knew what was really going on. So this moment right here, it was a place where Piper could escape all of that. She could escape the responsibility of having to be a perfect girlfriend to Larry, she didn't have to be a perfect student, and she most certainly didn't have to pretend to be living in this perfect family.

A small sigh of content escaped her lips, and she noticed the brunette look over at her and smile too. The engines of the boat got louder, the speed slowly picking up pace, and Piper stood at the edge of the deck watching everything pass by. The sun still barely shining down on the sea below; the layers of red and orange merging together as the clouds took over the sky. The breeze picked up, the wind starting to get stronger through the ocean air and Piper still only wearing a white tank top making her slightly shiver. She felt the presence of the brunette get closer to her, and they both stood in silence watching the boat pass by the island of Barbados and headed out to sea.


	4. Chapter 4

_Authors note: Guys I am so sorry for the last chapter being really short, and this one is too, but I wanted to get something out to you guys because I didn't want you all to be waiting! But I promise this chapter is a lot better, or at least I hope, but I hope you guys enjoy it as our favourite girls get closer and learn more about each other! Thanks for the reviews as always x_

* * *

Before they knew it, the boat was far into the ocean and the clouds had covered the entirety of the sky. The dark night was starting to draw in, and Piper and the brunette still stood in the same position as where they first started. Piper stood, focused on the waves crashing against the side of the boat beneath her, listening to the peaceful sounds that come with being in the middle of the sea at this time of evening. The orange and redness above had now disappeared, and the stars were the only light that lit up the dark sky above them.

Piper had missed this so much. She loved being at home, she truly did. She had a great boyfriend, she was doing good at school, and she couldn't wait to start college so she could spend the rest of her years focusing on writing. However, in this moment, Piper wished to be nowhere else in the world. And plus, the company wasn't too bad either.

For the past hour, Piper and the brunette had spent their time speaking endlessly. It was nice for Piper to actually spend some time with another person aboard, considering the previous years she had found nobody else similar to her on this ship. Most people were exactly like her parents, which she guessed was the reason why her mother chose this type of vacation, but still, it was nice for Piper to find somebody that was grounded just like her.

"So, mysterious blonde lady who I happen to have thoroughly enjoyed spending my time with for the past hour, what is your name?", the brunette finally questioned, after having back and forth conversation for the past hour and not even thinking to ask her name.

"Piper".

"Nice to meet you Piper, I'm Alex". The brunette extended her hand to Piper, although again, they had spent the past hour talking endlessly about different things in the world and have yet to get across the formalities.

Piper took the brunettes hand in hers and smiled back at her, letting go and facing back to the ocean.

"So, Piper, how about that drink?".

* * *

"You do realise it's a very rare occasion for me to actually drink, right?!" Piper giggled as she raised the glass of her third margarita of the night.

"Good. That makes this so much more fun", Alex replied, cigarette in hand and beer in the other.

"I'm such a lightweight. My parents are actually going to kill me."

Alex and Piper had been sat on the barstools around the same bar where Piper first laid eyes on Alex. It had only been thirty minutes and the two of them had already drank a total of 3 drinks each whilst exchanging conversation. She's not exactly sure how this happened, but Piper really was enjoying the company of her new friend.

The alcohol was surely getting to Piper by now.

"So… Alex… Tell me more".

"Tell you more of what, Piper?".

Damn this woman and the smirk that she wore so well on her fucking face.

"About you. I mean, we've spoken for a solid 2 hours at this point, which by the way is more than I've managed to speak to anybody in months without getting bored, and I've also let you get me absolutely more drunk than I have been in years, and I still don't know anything about you".

"Hm, let me see". Alex raised her beer glass to her mouth, downed the rest of her drink and put her cigarette out in the ash tray in front of her before starting.

"My name is Alex Vause. As I mentioned, my mom works on this boat for most of the season in the kitchen. It's good because normally back at home she has to work two jobs in order to pay the fucking rent, but here, they pay more and as family perks I get to come with her free of charge. You don't seem like the rest of these people on here, Piper, so I'm telling you this with confidence. But obviously, me and my mom aren't the rich type. We aren't waspy like everybody else here. It's just us two, and it works. It has for years. So yeah, I'm here for a few more months until we head back home and then I'm starting my second year of college…", the brunette trailed off.

Piper giggled, again raising the glass to her mouth to drink another sip of her margarita.

"Alex Vause, hmmmm, I like the sound of that", Piper hummed hazily.

Alex couldn't help but laugh in return at Piper. There was something that she couldn't quite put her finger on, but already she felt herself enjoying the company of the blonde more than she probably should.

* * *

"Can you fucking believe that?! Polly actually just left me for that bitch. It's like he came into her life and I didn't even matter as her best friend anymore, you know?! Unless she needed me for more boy drama, and then suddenly she would come running back and want me to sit with her for hours on the phone talking her through it all!" Piper ranted, now on her 5th drink of the night.

"Wow Pipes, that sounds intense". Alex laughed, trying to keep a straight face as she watched the blonde getting progressively more and more angry as she mentioned her best friend from back home.

Piper just sighed, signalling to the waiter to get her another drink.

"Hey, no, I think that's enough for you tonight, kid".

"What?! No! Alex, come on, this is just getting fun. Plus, I have so many more stories to tell you about Polly", Piper half shouted at the brunette, secretly disappointed that the other woman didn't want to continue their conversation".

"Hey, no, it's getting quite late and I'm pretty sure you're going to be jet lagged enough without having to worry about a solid hangover too, kiddo", Alex replied, also secretly upset that this conversation was coming to an end.

"Hmm, I guess you're right, but can we do it again tomorrow?!"

"Of course", Alex laughed loudly, quite impressed that the brunette had made such an impression already.

"Plus we have the day at sea tomorrow, so I can sleep for however long I want and hopefully I won't feel too bad once I wake up. And my parents haven't even fucking bothered to check if I'm okay or where I am, so it's not like that's an issue either", Piper replied, this time a tinge of sadness in her voice at the realisation that it had been hours and she hadn't heard from her mother or her brothers.

"How about this then, hey? We'll take the long walk back to your cabin", Alex laughed softly, hoping to get a smile out of the blonde too.

"Okay, Alex, that sounds good".

* * *

Alex was right. She stuck to her promise and they did indeed take the long walk back to Piper's cabin. They moved from the bar area and walked along the deck outside, taking in the scenery of the dark ocean for a few more moments before heading inside to find Piper's room.

"It has been a really lovely evening, Piper. I'm glad I got to spend it with you".

"Me too, Alex. Thank you very much, I enjoyed your company".

"Get some sleep, kid, I'll see you around tomorrow", and with that, Piper opened the door to her cabin to find her parents and her brothers fast asleep in bed. Trying to be as quite as possible, Piper made her way through the cabin into her own bedroom and lay down in bed, still fully clothed and not being bothered to take anything off before sleeping.

She quickly placed her bag on the side, pulled her phone out and checked the time. 01:37am. Damn, it was late. And Piper was very drunk. Noticing that she had in fact gotten a few missed texts from her boyfriend Larry back at home, she swiped them open and realised that she her boyfriend had not actually crossed her mind once in the few hours that Piper had been aboard with her new friend Alex.

She made a mental note to message Larry back in the morning, but for now, she needed to get some sleep. She was certain she was going to have another very interesting day tomorrow.


End file.
